Apparatus for making sides of coffins.



-No. 7Il,054. Patented Oct. [4, I902. L. G. KREGEL.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SIDES 0F COFFINS.

(Application filed Dec. 14, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS G. KREGEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SIDES OF COFFINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7'1 1,054, datedOctober 14, 1902.

Application filed December l4,'190 1-. Serial No. 85,882. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS G. KREGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing inthe city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for MakingSides of Ooffius, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

My present invention relates to an apparatus for making the bulged sidesof coffins which are composed of boards having kerfs extending in thedirection of their lengths and in which are inserted glued fillers. Sucha coffin side is shown and described in my application for patent filedAugust 28, 1901, Serial No. 72,865.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a perspective view of the apparatus. Fig. II is a side viewshowing the side piece opened out to receive the filler. Fig. III is aside view showing the side piece bent and held in the form after thefiller has been inserted. Fig. IV is a longitudinal section. Fig.V is abottom view of the clip-piece of the apparatus.

1 represents a suitable bed-plate or table, upon which rests a form 2,having a bulge or curve corresponding to the bulge to be given to theside pieces of the coffin. To the curved end of this form is secured aclip 3 by means of a bolt 1, the bolt passing through a slot 5 in theform, so that the clip can be adjusted to provide for more or lesslength of bulge to be given to the side pieces. The clip has a base 6,that rests on the form 2 and bears a vertical web 7, from the top ofwhich projects a horizontal flange 8, on the under side of which is asharp-edged tooth 9. Overhanging the tooth 9 is a lip 10. The base 6 isformed with a socket 11, and projecting forwardly from the front face ofthe web 7 are a number of stop-ribs 12, (see Fig. V,) that extend inheight from the form 2 to the under side of the flange 8 and not as farforward as the tooth 9. (See Fig. IV.) The clip, consisting of the partsmentioned, is preferably made in a single casting.

Secured to the form 2 are a pair of hooks 13, as clearly shown in Fig.I.

la represents a lever having a hooked finger 15 for engagement with thesocket 11.

16 represents a key formed to engage with the hooks 13.

The operation is as follows: After the kerf 17 is formed in the sidepieces 18 of the coffin (which is preferably done'by means of a saw) theside piece is placed with one of its flaps or members formed by the kerfbeneath the lip 10, the end of the flap coming against a stop-shoulderbeneath the lip, as shown in Fig. II. The side piece is then bent downinto the form by pressing on its outer end, which can be done by hand,causing the kerf to open out, as shown in Fig. II. The glued filler 19is now inserted in the kerf, and the outer end of the side piece israised and the side piece is moved slightly toward the clip 3 until itsupper face is beneath the tooth 9,

as shown in Fig. IV, care being taken to move the inner end of the sidepiece far enough forward to engage the stop-ribs 12. The nut of bolt 4is then tightened up, which forces the sharp edge of tooth 9 slightlyinto the upper part of the side piece. The lever 14 is now applied,blocks 20 being inserted between the lever and the outer end of the sidepiece. Pressure isnow applied to the outer end of the lever, whichcauses the side piece to be bent down onto the form 2, as shown in Figs.III and'IV. As the side piece is bent to the shape of the form, as abovedescribed, the lower member of the kerfed part of the side piece willmove forwardl y against the stop-ribs 12 and cause said stop-ribs tobecome embedded in said side piece, this action being necessary for thepurpose of affording a yielding resistance for said lower member as theside piece is bent to the form, and in coming against the stopribs alongitudinal tension will be exerted on the upper member of the kerfedpart of the side piece, this member being held from movement by thesharp edge of the tooth 9, which bites into it. This longitudinal strainon the upper member of the side piece causes it to be placed undertension and drawn tightly down onto the filler, so that the upper andlower members of the kerfed portion of the side piece and the filler 19are all tightly drawn together, forming a perfect union, and thestretching tension on the upper member of the kerfed part of the sidepiece prevents a tendency that it would otherwise have to crack or breakas the side piece is bent to the shape of the form. When the side piecehas been bent down onto the form, the key 16 is inserted to hold it inthis position until the glue that has been applied to the filler 19 hasbecome sufficiently dried to form a bond between the filler and theadjacent faces of the side-piece members. The side pieces can then beremoved from the form and will be found to retain the bulge that hasbeenimparted to them.

Bulged side pieces forcoffins can in this manner be made out of a numberof narrow boards having perfect bulged portions,whereas heretofore ithas been customary to use single boards for each side of the cofiin inorder to get perfect bulges in the boards, and the steaming of theboards is unnecessary, as the bulges are maintained by the gluing of theparts together instead of being maintained by a set produced by bendingthe side pieces when steam moistened and holding them in their bentcondition until dry, as has heretofore been the practice.

I claim as my invention 1. In an apparatus for forming bulges in theside pieces of coffins, the combination of a form and a clip secured tothe form, said clip having a lip for engaging one member of the kerfedside piece for the purpose of opening up the kerf for the admission of afiller,

and said clip having a shoulder beneath the lip, substantially as setforth.

2. In an apparatus for forming bulges in side pieces for coffins, thecombination of a form, and a clip secured to the form, said clip havinga tooth for engaging and holding the upper member of the kerfed sidepiece as it is bent to the shape of the form, substantially as setforth.

3. In an apparatus for forming bulges in the side pieces of coffins, thecombination of a form, and a clip secured to the form, said clip havinga tooth for engaging the upper member of the kerfed side pieces andhaving stop-ribs for limiting the forward movement of the lower memberof the kerfed side piece, substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus for forming the bulges in the side pieces of coffins,the combination of a form, and a clip secured to the form and having alip for use in opening up the curved side piece to admit the filler, andhaving a tooth for holding the upper member of the kerfed side piecefrom longitudinal movement while the side piece is being bent to theshape of the form, substantially as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for forming the bulges in the side pieces of cofiins,the combination of a form, and a clip secured to the form, and having alip for use in opening up the kerfed side piece to admit the filler, andhaving a tooth for holding the upper member of the kerfed side piecefrom longitudinal movement, and stop-ribs for limiting the longitudinalmovement of the lower member of the kerfed side piece, substantially asset forth.

6. In an apparatus for forming bulges in the side pieces of cofiins,consisting of a form, and a clip secured to the form, said clip having atooth for holding the upper member of the kerfed side piece fromlongitudinal movement, and having a socket to receive a pressure-lever,substantially as set forth.

7. In an apparatus for forming bulges in the side pieces of coffins, thecombination of a form, and a clip adjustably secured to the form, andprovided with means for holding the upper member of the kerfed sidepiece from longitudinal movement as the side piece is bent to the shapeof the form, substantially as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for forming bulges in the side pieces of cofiins, thecombination of a form, a clip secured to the form for holding the kerfedend of the side piece as it is bent to the shape of the form, and hooksand a key for holding the side piece when it has been bent to the shapeof the form, substantially as set forth.

LOUIS e. KREGEL.

In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER.

